Red Ribbon Week- Lock and Count Your Meds!

This year for Red Ribbon Week our coalition decided to kick off our campaign to address prescription drug abuse in Ohio County. We aim our public service announcements on WTOV and billboards around town on bringing attention to a problem which many parents and adult community members do not believe is happening to the extent that it does in our county. We are continually finding new statistics that emphasize that prescription drug misuse is on the rise with our young people.

Prescription drug misuse is reaching an epidemic proportion in West Virginia and Ohio County. In fact, WV had the highest state rate of drug overdoses leading to death for adults under the age of 45 years of age. Of 295 fatal overdoses, prescription pain medication contributed to 93.2%.

At the local level, Ohio County has a higher rate of youth non medical use of pain relievers than several southern counties and the state rate of use (National Survey on Drug Use, 2003). Youth often gain access to prescription drugs from family, friends and directly from the medicine cabinet. Research indicates that teenagers abuse prescription drugs more than heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, crack or ecstasy; partly because they see prescription drug misuse as “safer” than other drugs (WV Drug Abuse Quit Line, 2008).

We are asking the community to "Lock and Count Your Meds."